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A letter from the president
Dear fellow traders and professionals,
In my last letter I was very candid about the lockdown effect and predicted we would have a very positive Christmas, barring any COVID issues. It looks like the retail side did have a positive outcome however, hospitality and professional trading was mixed. We knew we’d lose a number of traders, particularly in these categories of hospitality and professional services, for a number of reasons, but it has been less than expected. The end of JobKeeper will likely add more pressure.
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Having said that, we are now heading into a more positive phase as businesses find a new normal, though hampered with the insecurity of random outbreaks and border closures. Masks are still mandatory, venue numbers limited, and many of the local office workers have not returned yet. We will have to live with this until we have the vaccination completed by later this year. However, it does not mean we are going to lose momentum, as our customer bases have been more resilient than last year.
Retail and hospitality will be in a better place than last year. The support of outdoor dining has helped to bring additional awareness to our restaurants. We can also benefit from the flexibility in workplaces; less workers in the office has been balanced with more people having time to visit shops or hold their meetings in cafes.
In this newsletter we’ve highlighted the marketing opportunities coming up like Easter, Mother’s Day and our annual CamberWELL-BEING health and fitness event, which drives customer numbers to the precinct. Please use the Trader Portal on the website to keep abreast of relevant local business news and government updates, and contact Kerry Daly with any promotions you want placed on our website and social media. That includes professionals who want to promote seminars or promotions. We can reach people outside of your database, so use the Association leverage whenever you can.
Have a great quarter and stay well.
Regards,
Henk Kelly-Kobes
President, Camberwell Centre Association
